New Gainesboro Business Collective To Unite Businesses

Gainesboro’s new Small Business Collective wants to unite local businesses and facilitate economic growth in Jackson County.

Local Business Owner Kara Smith said the organization will operate parallel to the Gainesboro/Jackson County Chamber of Commerce. She said the collective will facilitate short-term tourist rentals, advertise for businesses, and build a cohesive network between all Gainesboro businesses.

“It’s very, very important and vital to the growth of Gainesboro,” Smith said. “Kind of thinking it through, we called it Biz Blast because we feel like Gainesboro is about to blast off to places that it’s never been before, and the only way to do that is to unite together as a team.”

Smith said there will be monthly networking meetings hosted by different small businesses in the county. She said outside of long-term growth, the organization will help businesses manage the day-to-day struggles of running a local business.

“When one ship rises, they all rise,” Smith said. “So this is just helping all of the businesses together rise up, which will make Gainesboro rise up, which will make Jackson County rise up. ”

Smith said her husband is a seventh-generation Jackson County resident, so they both care deeply about the town’s success. She said the five core points she hopes to share outwardly are where to stay, where to eat, where to shop, what to do, and how to support nonprofits.

“There are so many people that actually run small businesses out of their homes,” Smith said. “So just finding out what we have here in Jackson County, trying to keep as much business here at home as we can.”

She said if you’re a Jackson County resident who owns a restaurant, sells a product online, farms and sells vegetables, or anything in between, you’re welcome to join the collective and attend monthly meetings.